Re: Gear Grinding 8: I Got A Lot Of Problems With You People!
Really tough position.
Some folks, not all by any means, engage a recruitment firm or an employment agency to help them find better jobs.
I was fortunate that, in a similar period, I had a particular skill that the employment agency was able to turn into a series of 2-week / one-month positions that paid fairly well, and I always went straight from one job to the next with little to no hiatus in between. Eventually I was able to move on from there; it really helped (a) provide a decent income and (b) build up a great base of references.
Having fallen victim to what I call the "Millenial Trap"...
I've got a college degree, but am stuck working an hourly retail job that goes nowhere. I can't move up past a "lead" position in retail because there is always some person who was promoted to manager with K-mart or Sears 20+ years ago and I have yet to get that title. So they win by default. (Also I work for an outdoors retailer. Having a clue about the outdoors industry, field experience with products, and industry trends, history and operations has no relevance. Selling towels at K-mart trumps knowledge of the industry I need to sell).
This is coming to a front simply cause working the holidays flat out sucks. The American consumer gets needier and more entitled every year. Any complaint registered against me is held against me, no matter how wrong the customer is (recent example: Was told a promo was over and the ad was a misprint. We ended the promotion and will not honor it. Tell a customer this. Customer complains. I get in trouble for not honoring the promo despite the direct order from the next person up the food chain. Was told that I should use better judgement and just take care of the customer. Hence why we have the "Give a Mouse a Cookie" problem).
You may ask why I don't find another job? Well, that takes time/effort that I don't really have. I work some sort of side job 10+ months of the year. I can get by with a bare bones budget from the main job, but my side gigs give me a bit of spending money and a small "Oh ****, I need money cause ________" cushion. Also, see above about applying for promotions.
It just sucks getting asked by family that you don't see often asking what you're doing with your life and having them be disappointed when I say what I actually do. I know I'm not the only person with this problem (**insert joke about an NMU degree here**). It's just the times we live in. And the leadership is doing their best to make it that much harder going forward.
/rant
Really tough position.
Some folks, not all by any means, engage a recruitment firm or an employment agency to help them find better jobs.
I was fortunate that, in a similar period, I had a particular skill that the employment agency was able to turn into a series of 2-week / one-month positions that paid fairly well, and I always went straight from one job to the next with little to no hiatus in between. Eventually I was able to move on from there; it really helped (a) provide a decent income and (b) build up a great base of references.
